25 Best Auburn Hair Color Ideas for 2017

Best Auburn Hair Color Ideas

Auburn hair is extremely popular because it is gorgeous and versatile. Since there are a wide variety of colors that can be described as “auburn” it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what quality pushes a hair color into auburn territory. Generally speaking, auburn hair typically falls somewhere on the brown, red, and blonde spectrum and often subtly integrates all three! Auburn hair is especially trendy during the fall, but it also looks great during the rest of the year. Keep reading to take a peek at our favorite 25 auburn hair color ideas for 2017!

1Dark auburn roots with lighter auburn ombre

Emily Blunt

Emily looks amazing with this stylish auburn ombre hair color! Her roots are a rich dark auburn and her hair subtly become lighter at the tips. The beautiful auburn color of Emily’s hair perfectly complements and enhances both her complexion and her striking blue eyes. This is a great auburn hair color idea if you want to play with ombre, but without having it make a bold statement or overwhelm your look.

2Light Auburn with subtle blonde highlights

Amy Adams

Amy Adams is well known for experimenting with many hues on the red and auburn spectrum and this color is definitely one of her best looks so far! This particular look is on the lighter side of auburn and could also be described as a strawberry bronde (brown + blonde). To achieve this look, Amy started with a light auburn base and added subtle blonde highlights and a few light brown lowlights to make her color look more dynamic. This color is especially flattering on girls with a pale complexion like Amy’s.

3Rich red hair with brown lowlights and blonde highlights

Christina Hendricks

Christina is famous for her bright red hair and often opts to wear orangey hues, but this look qualifies as auburn since she tones her hair down with brown lowlights. This rich reddish auburn hue looks amazing with her alabaster complexion because it creates a striking contrast. As Christina demonstrates, reddish hair also looks stunning with blue eyes because the juxtaposition between warm colored hair and cool colored eyes is striking!

4Medium red hair with brown lowlights and blonde highlights

Emma Stone

Emma has such a pretty face that she looks amazing with any hair color, but this reddish auburn hue is definitely one of her best looks. This is a great color to try out if you are interested in experimenting with reddish hair, but don’t want to have something too bright. Well-done Emma!

5Warm Auburn Pixie

Kate Mara

Kate Mara rocked every hair cut and color in the book and now she is sporting a new warm auburn side swep pixie cut, which suits her perfectly. The Auburn shade brings out her beautiful, features and complexion.

6Very dark auburn hair

Emma Stone

Yes, we just gave Emma a shout out for another auburn look, but this one is spectacular as well and definitely worth mentioning. This auburn hue is very dark, but it clearly has tones of red that create a distinctive look. This color looks great when paired with smoky eye makeup like Emma is wearing!

7Deep red auburn hair

Drew Barrymore

If you prefer an auburn look that looks like it could be your natural color, this may not be the right look for you since there are probably very few people who are actually born with a color like this. However, if you are interested in trying out a bold auburn look with a distinct and unique hue, this deep red auburn look is definitely a gorgeous and striking option!

8Light auburn with beachy highlights

Isla Fisher

Isla Fisher is widely admired for her gorgeous mane of hair and spectacular color choices! This look is a little bit lighter than she usually goes for, but it is gorgeous nonetheless. This light auburn style is achieved by adding shimmery gold highlights and a few darker lowlights to a light auburn base. The highlights and lowlights add extra dimension to the look and look awesome when styled into beachy waves! If you already have a darker auburn color, this look may be something fun to try out for summer!

9Dark brown hair with auburn highlights

Eva Longoria

Eva looks amazing with any hair color, but this look is one of our favorites! She has dark brown hair naturally and created this gorgeous look by adding a healthy dose of auburn highlights.

10Medium auburn hair with blonde highlights

Eva Mendes

Sometimes obvious highlights can make hair look tacky or dated, but sometimes visible highlights actually enhance a person’s hair color! In Eva Mendes’ case, the latter is true. Her beautiful auburn hair looks amazing with blonde highlights because they add hints of shimmer and create the illusion of thicker hair with added texture.

11Medium reddish auburn hair

Mandy Moore

Mandy is one of those women who we love, but also kind of hate because she can pull off literally any hair color! She looks especially great as a blonde when she has a tan, but she also looks amazing with darker hair when she is paler. This particular auburn hue is definitely on the red side, but it is neutral enough that it is somewhat understated. This is a great auburn color to try out if you want a color that is not overly red.

12Dark brown hair with auburn ombre

Shenae Grimes

Shenae’s roots are such a dark brown that they almost look black, which makes for a striking contrast to the tips of her hair which are a lighter auburn color. If you have super dark brown hair and are interested in experimenting with auburn hair, this ombre look may be perfect for you! Remember, ombre looks different on everyone and you get to choose how far up you want the lighter color to go, so don’t be afraid to experiment and find what is most flattering for you!

13Dark brown hair with many auburn highlights

Shenae Grimes

Shenae has had so many great auburn hair choices throughout her career so we couldn’t resist adding another one of our favorite looks of hers! This look is achieved by adding a ton of auburn highlights on top of her very dark brown hair. This auburn style is beachy and fun and looks especially amazing with long tousled hair like Shenae’s! Although Shenae demonstrates how great this hair color looks with long hair, don’t be afraid to try it out even if your hair is shorter!

14Strawberry blond auburn

Nicole Kidman

Nicole’s hair color is a gorgeous combination of strawberry blond and auburn. This is not an easy hair color to recreate, so if you want to try it out make sure you find a hair colorist who is very talented!

15Warm auburn with blond highlights

Emma Watson

This beautiful shade of auburn is understated, but strikingly gorgeous. Emma created this flattering look by beginning with a warm auburn base and adding blond highlights throughout the ends of her hair.

16Ashy auburn hair with blonde highlights

Natalie Portman

This auburn look that Natalie is wearing is very unique because it is ashy instead of being saturated and warm in the way that most auburn hair color styles are. This particular shade of ombre looks more flattering on girls who are tan or have some color in their cheeks because it might look a little dull on very pale girls.

17Dark brown hair with auburn highlights in the front

Ashley Tisdale

Ashley’s dark brown hair looks great with the addition of a few auburn highlights in the front part of her hair. This is a great look if you have dark hair and want to experiment with auburn, but do not want to be auburn all over!

18Rose gold auburn

Jessica Chastain

Jessica is famous for her striking reddish auburn hair and for good reason: she looks incredibly gorgeous! This auburn hue is a warm rosy gold and does a great job of complementing her complexion! To add a little bit of extra shimmer, Jessica also has a few golden highlights dispersed throughout her hair.

19Dark red auburn hair with highlights and lowlights

Kristen Stewart

Kristen Stewart has always had amazing hair because she pulls off the grungy-glam look effortlessly. This deep red auburn hue is a little bit edgy and her highlights and lowlights help create the illusion of grungy texture by adding extra dimension. This color also perfectly complements Kristen’s complexion and enhances her facial features!

20Deep red auburn

Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato experiments with her hair all of the time and sometimes the results are not particularly flattering. However, in this particular case, Demi made a great move by choosing to color her hair with this deep and bold red hue. Though this color does not look like a shade that a human could produce naturally, sometimes it can be fun to experiment with colors that are a little bit out there!

21Dark red auburn hair with brown lowlights

Ashlee Simpson

Ashlee looks amazing with this dark red auburn hair color. Although her gorgeous green eyes would look striking no matter with any hair color, they really pop with this shade! This is an amazing auburn shade to try out if you want something a little bit edgy and mysterious!

22Medium brown hair with caramel and auburn highlights

Miranda Kerr

Miranda has such striking blue eyes and they look especially amazing when contrasted with a warm auburn hair color. This auburn look is fairly understated and has a neutral base, but the caramel and auburn highlights make this hair color anything but ordinary!

23Auburn hair with gold highlights

Cindy Crawford

Cindy has always chosen such amazingly rich hair colors, and this look is no exception! Cindy achieved this bright and warm look by adding golden highlights on top of an auburn base. The good news is that this color is universally flattering so it will definitely look great on you!

24Auburn roots with blond ombre

Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa has had a lot of fun over the years experimenting with a variety of bold hair colors, and this look is one of her most memorable in our opinion! Vanessa’s roots are a warm dark auburn color and then transition into a bright golden blond at the tips. Though Vanessa achieves this look with some help from hair extensions, you can also adapt this look to flatter shorter hair.

25Warm strawberry blonde auburn

Bella Thorne

Bella has worn some amazing red hair colors over the years, but this is definitely one of our favorites. This look is super flattering and brightens up Bella’s face and complements her features flawlessly. If you want to try an auburn color that is light and understated, this is the perfect color to try out!

26Medium Auburn hair with red and blonde highlights

Khloe Kardashian

Khloe Kardashian is hilarious and outspoken, so it’s no surprise that she likes to experiment with bold hair colors. Although she now dyed her hair into platinum blonde, we love this reddish look on her. This look is a lovely medium hue of auburn supplemented with red and blonde highlights. The red highlights add richness and visual interest while the blonde highlights help to create brightness and shimmer because they catch the light. This is a great look for girls who want to make a statement with their hair!

How gorgeous are all of these auburn hair colors? As you can see from this list, some of these shades of auburn are more on the red side, brown side, or blond side, but they are all equally gorgeous. Finding the perfect auburn hair color for you is easiest when you consult with a professional hair colorist, so don’t be afraid to schedule an appointment for a consultation. Auburn hair is so gorgeous and flatters most skin tones so it is no surprise that it is such a popular request at hair salons. We hope you enjoyed this list and found some ideas that will inspire you!

Michelle is freelance writer and graphic designer based in California. In addition to her creative pursuits, Michelle enjoys following people’s pets on Instagram, accruing rewards points at Sephora, and dreaming of world travel.

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